The Only Thing Worse Than Scandals Are California’s Attempts to Stop Them

Anti-Corruption Laws Actually Make It Harder for Us to Keep Tabs on Local Elected Officials

Did we win in Bell?

There is no greater symbol of local California corruption than Bell, a city of 35,000 people, 2 1/2 square miles, and many gas stations in southeast L.A. County. For years, Bell City Manager Robert Rizzo and his minions exploited every dark corner of California’s convoluted systems of local governance and finance. They paid each other scandalously high salaries (Rizzo’s package of wages and benefits was worth $1.5 million annually), used the city’s redevelopment agency like a piggybank, borrowed improperly, squirreled away money in illegal retirement accounts, …

by Joe Mathews | March 19, 2015

Make Your City Council Meetings Feel Like a Starbucks

If You Want Folks to Show Up, Gather Some Comfy Chairs, Serve Coffee, Maybe Even Pour Drinks

by Joe Mathews | January 16, 2014

Would your community be better off if your city council met at the local Starbucks?

The answer is almost certainly yes. Compared to people in other states, few Californians talk to …

Is Civic Engagement Illegal?

Old Public Meeting Laws Make Public Participation Out of Bounds. New Model Laws Are Needed.

by Matt Leighninger | March 26, 2013

Everyone knows the standard public meeting in America: formal agenda handouts, official presentations, and three-minute speeches at the microphone for citizens. It’s boring. It doesn’t work. And it’s mysterious—because the …

If You Engage Them, Will They Come?

Seven Lessons in How to Convince People to Show Up for Civic Engagement

by Pete Peterson | November 30, 2012

As she takes a seat behind a table to begin a town meeting about a local planning issue, Leslie Knope—the local official played by Amy Poehler on the NBC sitcom, …

Why Do Local Governments Keep Swiping Your Money?

Because California Is About 6,500 Times Crazier Than You’d Think

by Rick Cole | October 9, 2011

The FBI has raided the offices of State Senator Ron Calderon of Montebello as part of an investigation that, according to published reports, is examining practices at the Central Basin …

Thankless, but Essential, Work

Who Will Manage the Rustbelt Cities in our Midst?

by Rick Cole | July 17, 2011

Wanted: Dynamic city manager with ability to motivate a demoralized workforce to deliver quality public services, while operating in crisis mode with no money. Must set a personal example of …

local government